Automatic air and elastic cushion tire.



C. W. BARRETT.

' AUTOMATIC AIR AND ELASTIC CUSHION TIRE.

APPLICATION FILIIZD FEB. I6, I914.

- INVENTOR' WITNESSES:

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CHARLES W. BARRETT, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR, AND ELASTIC GUST-NEON TIRE.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 113, i915.

Application filed February 16, 1914.. Serial 110,818,891.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. BARRETT, acitizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county ofSanta Clara and State of Cali-fornia,'liave invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Air and Elastic Cushion Tires; and I dodeclare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thecharacters of reference marked thereon, which. form a part of thisapplication.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle tires and isparticularly designed as an air and elastic cushion tire adapted tosupplant the pneumatic tires now commonly used.

'llie invention is further designed to pro duce such a tire will havegreater cushion, compression, traction and non-skid qualities than thepneumatic tire, the degrees of eiiicicncv in this respect and thereasons therefor being set forth in full hereinafter.

A further ob ect of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and tary portion of a wheel and my improved tire thereon. Fig. 2is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of my improved tire. Fig. 3is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on aline YY of Fig. 3. Fig. '5 is a sectional View taken one line X-X ofFig. 3. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of the rim towhich my improved tire is secured.

Referring nowmore particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 designates the hub, 2 the spokes and the numeral3 the folly of the wheel.

In providing my improved invention I first secure to the felly 3, in anysuitable manner, a rim 4:, which rim is provided with a plurality ofcurved seats, 5, between which seats are cut inrecesses 6 all for apurpose as will presently appear.

My improved tire comprises a continuous member of rubber or similarelastic material. made up of primary members consisting of central solidbody portions 7 having conical projecting portions 8 on one side andinverted-logical projecting portions 9 on the other side. Such portions8 are provided with central conical cup-like recesses 10 and theportions 9 are provided with similar inverted cone shaped cup-likerecesses 11,

the body portions 7 forming the bottoms of such recesses 10 and 11;Theportions 8 are connected by integral bridges 12 and the portions 9are connected by integral bridges 13, the bridges l2 and 13 being spacedapart to form intermediate openings 14 for the purpose as will presentlyappear.

In securing my improved tire to the rim of the wheel, the members 9 areseated on' the seats 5 and the entire tire is then securely secured orclamped to the rim by means of the following structure, namely: Leatherstraps 15 are placed through the openings '14 and around the bridges 18and aroundfiand under the rim 5. Angular clamps 16 are then placed oneach side of the rim 4 and set into the recesse 6 and against the straps15 and are then secured in this position by bolts 17. These bolts 17project through the clamps 16 and the bridges 13 and lie flat againstthe top surface of the rim 4:. Thehead of the bolt and the nut on thebolt impinge against the clamps '16 to hold them together and alsooverlap the top plane of the rim 2 to hold the clamps against the rimthus making a secure fastening for the tire to the -rim. The upper endsof the clamps 16 curve outwardly, as at 18, and the outer upper edges ofthe bridges 13 project in an overlapping manner, as at 19, against thecurved ends 18 of the clamps to form cushions to prevent undue wear orfriction with the elastic movement of the tire. Also the structuredescribed allows of the leather 15 being drawn closely around thebridges 13 when the bolts 17 are tightened into position.

As will be noted, the entire tire when constructed is a single integralpiece made up of the several elements described and securely strappedand clamped to the. rim in the manner set forth.

This tire will be used instead of the pneumatic tire now commonly usedon wheels and will have the same functions and qualities as a pneumatictire together with several more effective qualities in the followingparticulars and for the following reasons, namely: Quadruple cushion,which quadruple cushion effect is accomplished by reason of thefollowing structure, namely: 1st, the natural elasticity and cushioneffect of the rubber or other material of which the tire is composed;2nd, the air cushioning effect of compressing the air into the conicalrecesses 10 with the compression of the tire; 3rd, the similarcompressing of the air in the conical recesses ll'with the compressionof the tire; 4th the overlapping flexible edges above-and below the body7 occasioned by the conical shape of the members 8 and 9 which allowthem to be compressed and expanded much more'easily than if of a solidconstruction; non-skid and traction qualities, which non-skid qualitiesare: 1st, the tendency to vacuum occasioned by the compression of theair in the recesses 10; 2nd,' the curvatures and projecting edges of thecones; 3rd, the openings 1 L which receive the dirt and mud and form asort of lock for the same; dth, then-atural clinging tendency of therubber edges of the cones and bridges.

My improved the also can be claimed to be very efliciently non-heatingdue to the air cups or recesses 10 and 11, the intermediate air openings1t and the general eX- posed surface due to the construction of thecones and bridges.

As will be noted in Fig. t, the underside of the bridges 12'are curvedfrom the center outwardly to prevent of the accumulation of any dirt orsand therein.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

\Vhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice, such deviacure by LettersPatent is l. A device ofv the character described comprising thecombination with a wheel having a felly, of a tire adapted to be securedto said felly, such tire comprising a single annular member, such memberbeing composed of a plurality of body elements, each body element havinga cone shaped member above and below the same, one series of said coneshaped members being adapted to contact with the road the other seriesof said cone shaped members being adapted to be seated adjacent saidfelly, all of said cones being bridged together adj accnt their outerends by'mcaus of bridges formed integral therewith, as described.

2. A device of .the character described comprising the combination witha wheel having a folly, of a rim thereon, such rim having plurality ofseats, said rim being provided with cut in recesses between said seats,a tire comprising a continuous integral member made up of prinuiry bodyelements, each of saidbody elements having a cone projecting above andbelow the same and all of said cones being bridged together at theirouter ends by means of integral members, one set of said cones restingon said seats and clamp members secured over the bridges between saidlast named cones and secured in said out in recesses in said rim, asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I alliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. BARR ETT.

Witnesses STEPHEN N. Bnnn'r'rr. FLOYD M. B LAN (:1 I ARI).

